Henhouse dropping-board cleaner



A TTORNEY.

N. P. NIELSEN HENHOUSE DROPPING BOARD CLEANER Filed Dec. 7. 1927 Sept. 27, 1932.

Patented Sept. 27, 1932 UNITED srArss waste PATENT mice A NIELS 1P. NIELSEN, OF GUSTER TOWNSHIP, WHATCOM COUNTY, WASHINGTON I I HENHOUSE DROPPING-BOARD GLEANER Application filed December 7, 1927. Serial No. 233,345;

'My invention relates to improvements in hen-house dropping-board cleaners, and the object of my improvement is to provide mechanism to simultaneously scrape droppings lying on the board in transverse rows for convenient removal therefrom with a hoe.

I attain this and other objects of my improvement with the mechanism illustrated in the accompanying sheet of drawing, which forms a part of this application, in which Figure 1 is a front elevation of my dropping board mechanism in place-Fig.2 is an end elevation 'of Fig; 1 in section on the line 2+2 of Fig. 1, Fig, 3 is an end elevation of one of the scrapers drawn on a larger scale and Fig. 4 is a side elevation of an end of Fig. 3 the remainderof which is broken away. Similar characters refer to similar parts in the several related views. Certain parts are broken away thereby.

lVith more particular reference to the parts designated by characters: In modern hen houses it is-customary to place the roost poles alongthe rear side of the room and beneath them build a latform to catch the droppings voided whilet e hens occupy the poles. Daily these platforms, or dropping boards, are scraped over their entire surface for the removal of said droppings.

Some of the studding 5, 5 forming a part of the rear house wall are shown in Fig. 1. Studding of the right-hand end wall are shown at 6, while studding ofthe left-hand end wall are shown at 7. A row of pairs of posts 8 is fastened to the floor parallel with the rear wall and in the left-hand end of the room in front of and near the dropping board. Said row of pairs of posts Sis continued to the right-hand end of the room but the pairs of posts 9 of this continuation are preferably shorter than posts 8' for reasons to appear.

A horizontal track beam 10 is fastened to the studdin-g 5 of the rear' wall .behind posts posts 9 is fastened horizontal track beam 12, and its companion 13parallel and horizontal to show other parts'hidden V therewith is fastened to the rear edgesof pairs of posts'9'. Beams 12, 13 are preferably on a lower levellthan beams 10, 11. Dropping board beams 14, 1 1 bearon track beams 10, 11, but are not fastened thereto, andon beams 14 is fastened droppingboard 15. Dropping board beams 16 bear on trackbeams 12, 13, but are not fastened thereto, and to them is fastened dropping board 17. Beams 14' and 16 have end notches on their. lower edges to 1 engage with tracks 10, 11 and 12, 13, 'respectively, as shown at a16 in Fi gFQ. The front ends of roost beams (Z18 arev fastened between the upper'ends of pairs of posts 9 and their rear ends are fastened to wall I, studs 5, see 2. Similarly roostjbeams 18are fastened at their front ends between the upper ends. of pairs of posts 8 and their rear" ends are fastened to wall studs 5. On

top of roost beams a18 and 18 arepl'aced F and fastened roost poles (619 and 19,. .re; spectively. w

One of studs 5 is'used asone of a pair of postsv 5, a8- opposite each of pairs of posts .8 and between them are fastened the r-earlends of roost beams 18. Similarly,each of rear posts 09 joins with one of studs'5 to forma pair of posts to be opposite pairs of posts; 9, and between each pair of posts 5, a9 is fastened the rear end of one ofroost beams 018. Q

Scrapers 20 bear on dropping. board 15 and each is mounted forvertical reciprocation be tween a pair of posts 8,.a'tits front end, and between a pair of posts 5, a8 atits rear end. Scrapers 21b'ear' on dropping board 17 and each is mounted for vertical reciprocation between a pair of posts 9, at its front end and between a pair of posts 5, a9 at its rear end."

Some of the details of scrapers 21 are shown in the enlarged drawing in Figs. 3 and 4:. These scrapers, preferably, consist of two wooden strips 21 placed side by side with metal scraper blade a211therebetween. The

lower edge of bladea21 protrudesrbeyon-dthe lower edges of. strips 21. Strips "21, are clamped together with bolts :22gextended through registering holes: preferably placed to bring the upper edge of the scraper blade to bear against said bolts. Vertically throughand between the ends of strips 21 are Fi s. 3 and 4.

gcrapers 20 are exactly like scrapers 21. One of blocks 27 is fastened in each of pairs of posts 9, and one of blocks (127 is fastened in each of pairs of posts 5, a8, see Fig. 2. These blocks have vertical holes therethrough to register with holes 26 in scrapers 21above. Bolts 28, a28 are extended through holes 26 and through said holes inblocks 27 and 127,

preferably, with the nuts of said bolts beneath blocks 27, a27. On top of scrapers 21 on bolts 28, a-28 are mounted coil springs 29, a29 to react between the heads of said bolts and said scrapers.

Between the members of each of pairs of posts 8 and 5, a8 are fastened blocks 23 each of which has a Vertical hole therethrough in line with one of the holes in the ends of scrap ers 20 above corresponding to holes 26 in scrapers 21. Bolts 24: are extended through said vertical holes in scrapers 20 and blocks 23 beneath and the nuts of said bolts are preferably placed to bear on the under side of blocks 23. Coil springs 25 are mounted on bolts 24 to react between the heads thereof and said scrapers.

With the described construction in mind it is now apparent that dropping board 15 is movable endwise on track beams 10, 11 and dropping board 17 is movable endwise on track beams 12, 13. The reason forplacing the dropping boards on different levels, as illustrated, is to permit their overlapping when thus moved on their tracks.

Fastened in an opposite couple of pairs of posts 9 and 5, a9 are bearing blocks 31, 31 having holes in a line in which is mounted the shaft 36 of drum 37, beneath dropping board 17. In the lower edges of the end beams 16, 16 of dropping board 17 are fastened eye bolts 39, a39. On drum 37 are wound several turns of rope 38 the ends of which are tied in said eye bolts. Drum handle crank 037 is fastened on the protruding front end of drum shaft 36. By revolving drum 37 in a backward direction dropping board 17 is caused to move endwise toward the left ontracks 12, 13 and may occupy its dotted-line position at 17 Fig. 1. Then by revolving drum 37 in a forward direction said dropping board is returned to its illustrated full-line position.

In a similar manner drum 33 is mounted in bearing blocks 30 fastened in an opposite couple of pairs of posts 8 and 5, a8 beneath dropping board 17 with its shaft 32 in said bearings and the front end thereof protruding and fastened to handle crank a33 thereon.

In the lower edge of end dropping board beams 14, 14 are fastened eye bolts 35, a35. On drum 33 are wound several turns of rope 34 the ends of which are fastened to eye bolts 35, 1135. By turning drum 33 in a forward direction dropping board 15 is caused to move its cleaning limit.

endwise'toward the right on tracks 10, 11 to its dotted-line position at 15. By revolving said drum in a backward direction dropping board 15 may be returned to its position on said tracks shown in full lines in Fig. 1.

By the described construction, scrapers 2O and21 are stationary and bear on dropping boards '15 and 17, respectively, by'their own weight and by any additional pressure desired from springs25, 29 and (129. Then as said dropping boards are moved endwise beneath said transverse scrapers, any accumulatlon of I droppings on said board will be collected next to said scrapers andretained there during the continuance of said dropping board movement. Then when the dropping board move: ment is reversed the transverse. rowsof drop pings thus collected will remain and they may be readily removed with a hoe into the usual boxplaced beneath the front edge of the dropping board to receive them. 'It thus appears that with my mechanism the droppings whichhave been distributed over the entire area of the dropping boards are, by the simple act of. revolving the drums through a few turns, collected into rows across the boards convenient for their easy and quick removal. r V

It is not unusual for the roosting room in a modern hen house to befrom to 90 feet lon i Because of thefnarrow limits of the illustrations the figures are not only drawn to a small scale but are, inaddition, greatly foreshortened longitudinally.

The distance betweenv adjoining posts 8 or 9 ispreferably from ten to sixteen feet,"and the droppings scattered over ten-foot lengths of the dropping boards are thus collectedin rows but a few inches wide. \Vith these conditions in mind, it will readily be seen that this device will greatly reduce the time required to' clean the dropping boards, which, in modern hen houses is done daily. v Although I have chosen to illustratemy mechanism as applied to the dropping boards in a single room which are divided and placed on different levels in order that their ends may occupy overlapping positions during the cleaning operations, it may easily be understood that a more simple arrangement is to allow one end of a single'dropping board to extend through an opening through one of the end walls of the room and thus the dropping board would protrude into an adjoining room or outside the building when moved to This latter arrangement is, in most cases, preferred,and the two-board plan is shown because it is more complicated yet is also sufliciently illustrative of the single-- board requirements. v y

Having thus disclosed my invention, what iao I claim as new therein and desire to secure 7 by Letters Patent is,

V 1. A mechanism of the character described consisting of a plurality of longitudinally moveable, horizontal floors, disposed end to end and at different levels; supporting means for said floors; a revolvable shaft for each floor; flexible tension means operatively connecting said moveable floors and said shafts, adapted to move said floors longitudinally, and scrapers mounted to bear on the top surface of said platform disposed transversely thereof.

2. A mechanism ofthe character described consisting of a plurality of floors disposed end to end and adapted to longitudinal movement; said movement causing the floor moved to pass either under or over 1ts abutting floors, means for supportmg said floors at different levels; a revolvable shaft for each floor; flexible tension means operatively connecting each of said floors to its shaft and adapted to coact with said shaft to move said floors longitudinally in either direction.

3. A mechanism of the character described consisting of a plurality of floors disposed end to end, at different levels and adapted to longitudinal movement; supporting means for said floors; a revolvable shaft for each floor; flexible tension means operatively connecting each of said floors to its shaft and adapted to coact with said shaft to move said floors longitudinally in either direction; scrapers mounted to bear on the top surface of said platform, disposed transversely thereof and a compression spring disposed to urge said scrapers downwardly.

4. A mechanism of the class described, consisting of a plurality of longitudinally movable, horizontal floors disposed end to end and with abutting floors at different elevations so that they may pass one over the other; stationary scrapers adapted to bear on the top surface of the said floors and disposed transversely thereof and means to separately move each of said platforms longitudinally beneath said scrapers. NIELS P. NIELSEN. 

